London Air Travel » British Airways » British Airways Disruption »
Qatar Airways is to operate selected British Airways flights from London Heathrow to Delhi, Kuwait & Muscat between June and August 2018.
This is in response to additional maintenance requirements to the engines of BA’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner fleet which has already resulted in extensive cancellations to Doha as well as Los Angeles, San Jose and Tokyo Narita.
Flights operated by Qatar Airways will be operated by Qatar Airways A330 aircraft and its pilots and cabin crew. The aircraft will not have a First Class or premium economy cabin. In addition, there will be differences to special meals and other aspects the in-flight service. All flights will continue to operate from London Heathrow Terminal 5.
Rebooking options are available to passengers, including on alternative routes and airlines. However, these depend on which cabin you are booked in.
Please note this guidance is based on BA’s advice first issued to the travel trade on Monday 4 June 2018. It has already been subject to change and will no doubt continue to be so.
Affected Routes & Flights
Delhi
Qatar Airways will operate BA’s daily Boeing 787-9 service to Delhi:
Flight BA143 London Heathrow – Delhi (Saturday 9 June – Monday 20 August 2018)
Flight BA142 Delhi – London Heathrow (Sunday 10 June – Tuesday 21 August 2018)
BA will continue to operate flights BA256 and BA257 between London and Delhi with a Boeing 777-200.
Kuwait
Qatar Airways will operate BA’s daily Boeing 777-200 service to Kuwait:
Flight BA157 London Heathrow to Kuwait (Saturday 9 June – Saturday 30 June 2018)
Flight BA156 Kuwait to London Heathrow (Sunday 10 June – Sunday 1 July 2018)
Muscat
Qatar Airways will operate BA’s daily Boeing 787-9 service to Muscat:
Flight BA79 London Heathrow to Muscat (Saturday 9 June – Monday 20 August 2018)
Flight BA80 Muscat to London Heathrow (Sunday 10 June – Tuesday 21 August 2018)
First Class Passengers
If you are booked into First Class, you will be downgraded to business class.
You will be automatically refunded the difference in the fare. You will still be entitled to access the Concorde Room at London Heathrow and have the same baggage allowance as First Class.
If you are member of the BA Executive Club, you will receive the same tier points and Avios had you flown First Class. You may also be offered an ex-gratia e-voucher or Avios.
You do also have the option of cancelling your flight for a full refund or using the value of your ticket to an alternative flight.
Passengers flying to Delhi also have the option of rebooking onto a BA operated flight to Delhi.
Club World Business Class Passengers
If you are booked into Club World business class, you can either fly on Qatar Airways or take an alternative indirect routing on BA to/from London.
It is important to note that the business class cabin on Qatar Airways Airbus A330 is significantly smaller than all BA long-haul aircraft.
For example, BA’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner has 42 seats in a 2-3-2 configuration. The site maps we have seen for Qatar Airways’ aircraft show 24 seats in a 2-2-2 configuration.
Taking into account that all First Class passengers will be downgraded, there is a high risk of being downgraded. Not only that, you will be downgraded to economy, as Qatar Airways does not operate premium economy.
If you are downgraded, you will be automatically refunded the difference in the fare. You will still be entitled to access the Galleries lounges at London Heathrow and have the same baggage allowance as Club World.
If you are member of the BA Executive Club, you will receive the same tier points and Avios had you flown Club World. You may also be offered an ex-gratia e-voucher or Avios.
Regardless of whether you are downgraded, you do also have the option of cancelling your flight for a full refund or using the value of your ticket to an alternative flight.
Pre-ordering of main course meals from London Heathrow will not be available on Qatar Airways operated flights.
If you would prefer to take an alternative flight, passengers flying to Delhi also have the option of rebooking onto a BA operated flight to Delhi. Or you can fly on BA operated flight to an alternative destination in India (Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai) and connect to an Air India flight to Dehli.
Passengers flying to Kuwait and Muscat also have the option of flying on a BA operated flight to Abu Dhabi and connect on to an Etihad flight to Kuwait or Muscat.
World Traveller Plus Premium Economy Passengers
If you are booked into World Traveller Plus Premium Economy, you will be downgraded to economy.
You will be automatically refunded the difference in the fare. You will have the same baggage allowance as World Traveller Plus.
If you are member of the BA Executive Club, you will receive the same tier points and Avios had you flown World Traveller Plus. You may also be offered an ex-gratia amount of Avios.
You do also have the option of cancelling your flight for a full refund or using the value of your ticket to an alternative flight.
Passengers flying to Delhi also have the option of rebooking onto a BA operated flight to Delhi.
World Traveller Economy Passengers
If you do not wish to travel on a Qatar Airways operated flight, you do have the option of rebooking onto an alternative BA operated flight.
Pre-ordering of paid-for economy meals from London Heathrow will not be available on Qatar Airways operated flights.
Special Meals
Kosher meals will not be available on Qatar Airways operated flights. Passengers will be offered a fruit plate as an alternative.
All non-vegetarian meals will be Halal.
Seating
Pre-paid seating is not available on Qatar Airways operated flights. If you have paid for seating, your fee will be refunded.
If you are eligible for free seat selection by virtue of frequent flyer status, you may need to call BA to secure a seat reservation.
Passengers with health conditions
BA offers therapeutic oxygen on request on long-haul flights. This will not be available on Qatar Airways flights.
Advice for passengers
BA has published guidance on how other aspects of in-flight service and amenities may vary on Qatar Airways flights.
Passengers are advised to keep a close eye on bookings through the Manage My Booking tool and by downloading the BA app to your smartphone or tablet.
Passengers who need to change / confirm the status of their booking should contact either BA or their travel agent.
